Andruw wants to glove more success

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Almost a decade behind schedule, Andruw Jones finally had the kind of season everyone expected of the teenager from Curacao who hit two homers in his first World Series game.

Now, can he do it again?

The Atlanta Braves center fielder is facing a different sort of expectation this season, coming off 51 homers, 128 RBIs and a runner-up finish to Albert Pujols for the National League MVP award. He's proven to everyone that he's one of the best players in baseball - and, at 28, he's still got plenty of time to solidify his legacy.

"I don't see any reason why he can't do it again," longtime teammate Chipper Jones said. "Now, to ask him to hit 51 homers again is probably a little too much to ask. But I certainly think he can throw up 40 homers every year."

With typical nonchalance that hides his passion for the game, Andruw Jones shrugs off any pressure he might be under to duplicate his career season.

"I know what my job is. I know what I've got to do," he said. "I've got to keep getting better. I'm more hungry than I was last year. I have an opportunity to get us back to the playoffs and perform even better."

Jones has been under intense scrutiny since his second year as a pro, when he had 25 homers, 100 RBIs and 56 stolen bases in Class A. In 1996, while still only 19, he bolted through three levels of minor league ball and was called up to the Braves in mid-August.

AndruwMania reached a fever pitch that October, when he became just the second player in history to homer in his first two Series at-bats - at Yankee Stadium, no less. Clearly, this guy was going to be another Mickey Mantle or Willie Mays, that rare player who knew no limits at the plate or in the field.

Over the next eight seasons, Jones put up some very heady numbers - five times with more than 30 homers, three years exceeding 100 RBIs and, most notably, eight straight Gold Gloves awards that gave him an undisputed reputation as the best outfielder in the game.

But there was always the perception he should be doing more. He struck out too much. He didn't come through in the clutch. He should hit for a higher average.

The detractors had a field day in 2004, when Jones fell off to 29 homers and 91 RBIs while putting up a career-high 147 whiffs.

It was time to try something different. Jones noticed that his batting stance had gradually changed over the years, his feet getting closer and closer together, his stride getting longer and longer. So, he went back to swinging like he did earlier in his career.

"That was him being less stubborn and making some changes he needed to make at the plate," Chipper Jones said. "He used to have this hurried, long stride when he swung. His head was always moving around. Now, he's more spread out before he swings. His head isn't moving around so much."

With a more controlled swing, Andruw Jones was able to get a split-second longer look at the pitches. That made it easier to pass up those sliders off the outside corner that had always been his Achilles' heel.

"He finally realized that if he didn't swing at pitches off the plate, the pitchers would have to come to him," Chipper Jones said. "When that happens, he just kills them. You have to make the pitchers make adjustments, not the other way around."

Andruw Jones still thinks there's room for improvement. A late-season slump dropped him to .263 - not much better than his .261 average the previous season, even though his strikeouts dipped significantly to 112.

Also, he's desperate to bring another World Series title to Atlanta. While he's been to the playoffs in all 10 of his big league seasons, the Braves haven't won it all since 1995 - the year before he made it to the majors.

"I'm trying to be more consistent," Jones said. "I had a good season going, but I had a month or so (he batted .210 in September and October) when I wasn't that consistent. Those are the kind of things I want to improve on."

Jones is a witty presence in the clubhouse, shuffling around from one end to the other doling out insults and mock criticism. Recently, he took a media relations worker to task because David Wright of the New York Mets was on the cover of Baseball America.

"Tell them that Andruw wants to know, 'What's up?' " Jones said sarcastically.

On the field, Jones' casual demeanor at the plate and effortless brilliance in the field sometimes causes fans to question whether he cares enough. Make no mistake about it - he does.

Jones is one of the most durable players in the game, never playing fewer than 153 games in a full season. He missed only two games last year.

"He's a gamer," Chipper Jones said. "He knows how important he is to this lineup - not just hitting in the (cleanup) hole but playing center field every day. That's a big load off the pitcher's mind, knowing there's a guy with eight Gold Gloves in center field.